Book of Light
by PiscesSoul
Summary: The Millennium Items were lost forever under the sands of Egypt, safe from anyone who would dare use their dark powers. Atem/OC   Better description inside!
1. Prolog

**Pharaoh Atem's soul has finally, after been trapped within the Millennium Puzzle for nearly five thousand years, reached the afterlife thanks to his beloved friends. The Millennium Items, now rest deep under the sands of Egypt. Except for one... One Sacred Guardian reincarnates back into this world to set right what is still unfinished, and restore the past to save the future of the Pharaoh she has always been destined to protect. And maybe, a long fateful destiny will be finally be realized. **

This is my first fan fiction that I am starting, and I never would have thought it would EVAR be a YGO fanfiction. But never the less I woke up one day at the ripe old age of 21 (I think I was still in elementary school when I was in fact playing Duel Monsters and watching the show whenever possible) Just figured I'd download the rest of the anime and find out just what happened to the story (I left off with the duel between Pegasus and Yami/Yugi) So for all the YGO fans out there, I hope you like this! I was listening to Megadeth's "A Tout Le Monde" while writing this, and it made me miss Atem too, haha. This is just a prologue, I won't put song lyrics in anymore chapters... maybe. I kept the names the same as the anime, but I am following the manga, and if anyone has read the manga, it's fucking dark!

And because I do not want to get sued: I DO NOT OWN YuGiOh! AND I DO NOT OWN THE LYRICS!

* * *

_Don't remember where I was, I realized life was a game_

_The more seriously I took things, the harder the rules became..._

Yugi sat down at his desk for the day, eyes staring vacantly out the window across the morning view of Domino High grounds. It had been nearly a year since he said goodbye to his best friend. He still missed the voice in the back of his head, the other half. A day hadn't gone by that he did not miss Atem. Tea stood in the doorway, watching Yugi with a soft expression. Joey crept up to her, Tristan right behind him. "Yug's still mopin', Tea? I' never seen'em so down for so long" not attempting to keep his voice low "It has been a while, like what? A year now?" Tristan lowered his voice peering over Joey's shoulder. Tea didn't know what to say, Yugi had been her friend since they were kids, and never once knew Yugi to be so down about something, being as sensitive as he is. "I don't know you guys" she said quietly, "Yugi shared his body and mind the Atem, and for nearly all that time, his identity too" she wondered what it would feel like to have someone so close for so long. The thought of another entity in her mind made her shiver. But if that one person had been like another half of you for nearly five years, and then suddenly be all alone. Must be very lonely. "Yugi really misses him, I just wish there was something we could do to cheer him up" she trailed off. Tea felt for Yugi, everyone seemed to be missing the Pharaoh. Students began filling up the classroom, Yugi's quiet moment was gone and the last day of school was in sight.

_Moving on is a simple thing, what it leaves behind is hard..._

Yugi's feet worked mechanically down the sidewalk, his eyes never leaving the only thing he had left to remember the spirit that once shared his mind, the dark magician card between his fingers. He always kept this card close to him, he didn't even have the millennium puzzle anymore. _A whole year... it seems longer, life's been so quiet..._ his mind wandered. What he wouldn't give to have things the way they were again, but he knew how selfish that would be. But the Pharaoh had become a dear friend.

_To all the world, To all my friends, I love you, I must leave..._

The Kame Game shop seemed to appear before him, he was so deep in thought, he hadn't realized he was nearly home. Entering the store, the familiar weight of the door as he pulled it open. The quaint game shop had indeed become more popular with Yugi's fame as the International Duel Monsters Champion. His grandpa seemed to be loving his fame more than Yugi himself. "Ah, Yugi! You're home! How was your last day at school, son?" Yugi had to remember that it was now the beginning of summer. "It was fine, grandpa! Tea, Joey and Tristan want to go out to the arcade to celebrate" Solomon Mutou looked at his grandson with a concentrated stare. "You've been awefully quiet all year, what's wrong Yugi? This is not your usual self..." Yugi didn't like making his friends and family worry about him. He felt fine, just more lonely now that he was alone. Tears threatened their way through his eyes as he thought about that last day... the last duel really. "I'm fine grampa!" he did his best to plaster a smile on his face, nearly bolting to the stairway that led to his bedroom. "I'm just going to take a nap before going out tonight" he turned casually to his grandpa and gave him one last smile before heading up the stairs.

_So as you read this know my friends, I'd love to stay with you all_

Solomon wasn't a fool. He knew Yugi was still fighting the loss of the spirit. _Yugi, I know you feel as if you've lost your best friend, but..._ He had wanted to say so many times, but Yugi didn't need to hear that. Solomon hoped that all that Yugi needed was time. But how much more time?

Yugi dropped his school bag and stood in his bedroom. The afternoon sun was glaring in through his skylight. His eyes glanced at his desk, the same spot he spent years trying to assemble the Millennium Puzzle.

_Please smile, smile when you think of me..._

He dropped onto his bed and closed his eyes. He hadn't thought much about it, but it had indeed been a year since he had dueled anyone. The last duel... had sent his friend away. Atem's spirit was free to return to the afterlife. No one had really challenged Yugi to a duel since he returned home from Egypt. I guess being the "King of Games" proved intimidating to many. Not that Yugi felt much like dueling anyways, his deck and duel disk had been sitting in his room untouched for a while. Yugi's thoughts were taking him closer to sleep... he let out a long sigh. Sleep had overcome him at last.

_My body's gone that's all..._

Tea was at home preparing for a night out on the town. A black miniskirt and a hot pink tube top sat on her bed, and black ankle boots with low rising heels stood next to each other just below the bed. Towel drying her hair in front of her mirror, she reached for the TV remote and flipped on to the last channel happened to be on from before. The evening news was just getting started. Turning back to the bathroom she started for the door knob when she heard, "missing from the museum Egyptian exhibit..." Immediately she turned back and slammed on the volume button. The reporter flashed on screen, "... Investigations are under way as to who the persons responsible, although what seems to be intriguing officials and investigators more is how exactly the item in question was stolen..." Just then, another figure appeared on the screen, beautiful woman with dark hair and dark olive skin, _Ishizu!_ _No way!_ _Who would steal something from the Egyptian exhibit? I didn't think that any of the millennium items would be on display! There're all gone. So why is she on the news, and what was stolen?_ "Those who know of the specific items stolen are keeping quiet at this point in time..." Tea stared in wonder, and then reached for her cell phone._ I don't know this number...?_

_

* * *

_

So much for plans, the summer just started and already it seemed like fate had other plans. Tea was walking down a long hallway, with an occasional turn and a few doors here or there. Two men on either side of here walked slightly in front of her, they were dressed in suits with ear pieces. Employed by Kaiba Corp. She went over the ominous phone call in her head.

_"Hello?" _

_"Miss Gardner? This is Odion Ishtar, my sister Ishizu wish's to meet with you and your friends. There will be an escort coming for you shortly"_

The mysterious phone call kept her mind busy, not to mention creeped out. The small group descended down a steep flight of stairs, and at the end of that hallway another door, from which she heard voices.

* * *

Yugi looked all around the room deep under the museum. A long conference table was situated in the middle of the room. His grandfather sat next to him, and Joey and Tristan on his left side. "Yug' you got any idea what's goin' on 'ere?" Asked Joey. Yugi was searching the room, full of more familiar faces... Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, Ryo Bakura, and even Duke Devlin. The only door in the room open once again, and Tea stood before the group. "Yugi, Joey, Tristan! What's going on here? I got a creepy phone call and now I'm here. What's going on here?"

"I don't know Tea, no one here knows" Yugi stared at her, his look just as bewildered as hers"  
"I'll bet Kaiba knows, it's his goons who brought us 'ere" Joey pointed at Kaiba

Kaiba merely glance his way without even saying a word, but his sneer said it all. "For your information..." started Mokuba, who in the last year had matured quite a bit. "My brother and I don't know exactly what's going on either, we were asked to gather everyone that's here"

"It's all right Mokuba, you don't need to give anyone an explanation, especially the loud mouth" Kaiba turned his back to the group, "But Mokuba is right, we only gathered you all here at the request of the Ishtar family"

_Ishtar?_ thought Yugi, _everyone here was at the ceremonial duel in Egypt, but does this have to do with the item being stolen? I can't imagine it was anything of any danger, all the millennium items are_ _gone, so what could possibly be the cause of such precautions?_

No longer had Yugi thought about what the Ishtar family could have to do with everything, the door opened once again, and this time three people entered the room. Ishizu, Odion and Marik had entered the room.

"I gather there is a good reason why I am taking time out of my busy schedule to round up everyone on your shopping list" Kaiba finally turned fully to the new comers. His attitude was no-nonsense, and demanded an explanation. "In fact there is a good reason Kaiba, we have a grave situation, and I fear it's only going to get worse" Ishizu's face was solemn now. "What's wrong Ishizu? Does this have anything to do with what was stolen from the museum?" Yugi's mind was just itching to find out what was so scary, if not the millennium items... "Yeah, what gives man? Out of nowhere I get a disturbing phone call and some men in black wanna-be's picking me up and now I see it wasn't just me, why are we all here? and what do we have to do with the robbery at the museum?"

Ishizu glanced up and caught Yugi right in the eye, never breaking her glance from his "Mister Solomon, do you know..." she paused and shifted her gaze to Solomon, "...Of the Millennium Spellbook?" At that very moment, Solomon breathed a sharp breath, and his gaze immediately became sharp and intense. The room was silent, all eyes were shifting between both Ishizu and her family, and Solomon. "I am aware of what it is, but I don't see how there should be any concern, no one, not even the ancient scholars of ancient Egypt could decipher it"

"This is true" Marik jumped in, "But we believe that this may no longer be the case"

"Excuse me, I know you all like your mumbo-jumbo and magic, but I am wasting time here, and I want to know on what and why, and I want to know now" Kaiba's low tolerance for the occult was testing his patience.

"Seto" Solomon was the first to offer an explanation, "The Millennium Spellbook was an item of great power, It is said to yield the power and knowledge of the Egyptian gods, it was even what gave the sorcerers of the ancient times the knowledge on how to create the millennium items. But even then, the sorcerers could barely translate that, it took them decades, but if I understand what Marik is implying, somebody has found a way to translate the ancient text?"

"It's much more dire than that, Solomon" Ishizu glanced back at Yugi, "We are the sacred guardians of the Pharaoh's tomb, and even now, we fear something is threatening the Pharaoh"

The whole room thought the same thing

_Atem..._

Yugi couldn't take it anymore, "But Atem is safe in the afterlife, how could he be in danger?" Ishizu looked upon Yugi's concerned face, "Yugi, someone has brought back the Millennium Items from their resting place deep from within the earth, I could feel the presence of my Millennium Necklace, I know you feel the presence of the Millennium Puzzle" Yugi froze... He had felt something, the sensation. His thoughts lately were on the Pharaoh, more so than usual. "Come to think of it, I have felt the prescence of my Millennium Ring lately, but I thought I have been imagining it" Bakura wondered aloud. "But how? How could someone possibly have the...?" Yugi was still frozen, Tea was asking, her near excitement could barely be contained. "The spell book is mother to the Millennium Items, it's power is that of the gods, and now that the tomb of the Pharaoh has been disturbed and the items removed, Atem's soul no longer resides in the afterlife, we fear he is once again trapped within the Millennium Puzzle" Odion's gaze was stern, but calm. "The reason we feel the presence of our respected Millennium Items, is because of or bond with them, we were in fact, the last holders of these items, and so, are sensitive to their state"

Yugi's blood ran cold. He had missed the Pharaoh and wished to see him again, but he was in his resting place after five thousand years trapped within the puzzle, and the thought of him trapped again, and without him there to help, made Yugi shiver. "But as troubling as that is," Ishizu broke her gaze from the now devastated Yugi, and glanced at everyone in the room "the circumstances of the disappearance of the Millennium Spellbook is even more troubling" Bakura gently raised his hand, almost to gently inquire, "Disappearance? I thought the Millennium Spellbook was stolen?" He had an uncanny attention to her choice of words. "Yes... and no" She said simply. "Kaiba, if you could, please?" she gestured to Seto, who looked at Mokuba. Mokuba had opened a briefcase, which seemed to be housing a small computer inside, he rotated it around so that the room could see the screen. It was, it appeared, to be a surveillance video taken from within the museum. Ishizu mention over to the screen, "We gave the Millennium Spellbook to the curator of this exhibit as s gesture of good will, after all no one can read the ancient texts, and did not pose any threat, but watch carefully" Mokuba pushed a key and the video began to play. The Millennium Spellbook sat there, everyone's gaze sat transfixed on the screen, staring hard should they miss something. Just then the book on the screen began to levitate, in midair in its display! Tea let out a gasp, but kept her eyes on the screen. The book sat floating in midair for about a minute before two shadowed figures walked into the frame. They were facing the Millennium Spellbook, but then turned to face each other. They looked as if they were exchanging some words, and then the spell book began to glide over to the smaller of the figures, and barely under the black hood, hands came up to take the book. Feminine hands. The larger of the hooded figures moved as if agitated, and then after what seemed like a tense moment, lunged after the smaller figure. The two struggled for about 20 seconds, fighting over the Millennium Spellbook. Then suddenly, the smaller figure disappeared, into thin air. The larger of the figures was left standing alone, looked around for a moment, then walked off screen.

That was the end of the footage. The room was silent.

"It seems" Ishizu began in the silence, "that the guardian of the Millennium Spellbook has finally been incarnated into this world"

"What do you mean Guardian? The book was stolen" exclaimed Mokuba

"True, but the Millennium Spellbook chose that individual... and because the Millennium Items have returned, I have no doubt in my mind that the person in that video, can decipher the ancient texts within... somehow"

"So you mean to tell me that the person who stole this book has the Millennium Items?" Tristan looked confused

"We don't know" was all Ishizu could say

* * *

Well that's all for now everyone, I hope I have a good start, so read and review, and based on the reception, I'll add the next chapter up as fast as i can write it!


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok so it's a little slow right now, but enjoy! I had a hell of a time trying to find out names to use that had meaning. **

**Thank you so much SolarRadiance for the review. I am still getting used to uploading and editing in 's document manager. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas, please review or even send me a pm. I am going to try and put up chapters faster now, but I apologize for taking so long.  
**

* * *

Flinging her arms wildly in an effort to fight off her attacker, she heaved a breath and shouted as loud as she could "GET OFF!" The hot sun started pouring into her eyes like acid. In an instant her hands shot up to cover her face, as a moan of slight pain escaped her. Her hands remained placed over her eyes to shield herself from the sudden transition from complete darkness to the brightness of daylight. Diana peeked though her fingers, around the sand and landscape, confusion swirling in her head. She was alone, not a moment ago she'd been standing in the dark and empty museum, and now in an instant she was standing in the middle of nowhere surrounded by sandy dunes. Panic started to creep up in her chest becoming more aware of her surroundings every second. She sat up in a jolt, Diana's eyes swept the ground around her not knowing what she was looking for. Still squinting like a newborn, her gaze quickly landed a upon small glimmers of gold coming from beneath the sand. Her fears subsided a little as her memory came back to her. She knelt down and reached out to pick up the book. It was a heavy book but surprisingly light despite the gold decorations that encircled intricately around the book. She traced her hands over the cover, a worn yet smooth type of lacquered wood of some sort. Her fingers worked their way over its intricate designs, finally tracing the eye symbol that was mysteriously placed on the front of the book. A shiver ran through her spine like a jolt of electricity from the bottom up to her neck. The eye gave her the sudden creeps, almost as if it were gazing right back at her... to her soul. She couldn't help but feel something almost like a faint to voice calling out to her almost from within the book itself. She began to wonder if Icarus could also feel the strange presence within the book as well.

_Icarus!_

She had forgotten all about him. Where was he? Could he still be in the museum? She had no idea what possessed him to attack her like he had. As much as she wanted to rack her brain for that answer, she figured she had more pressing things to worry about at the moment Without much thought, she removed her hoodie realizing that the weather was significantly warmer than it had been moments ago. It wasn't until she was more comfortable that she got a better look of her surroundings. But she had once thought were rocks and boulders were actually huge slabs of stone, too organized and sculpted to be natural. She stood up shakily, adjusting to the stand beneath her feet. Diana picked up the book and carried it with her toward what looked like a crevice between two slabs that were resting against one another. "In the middle of a desert, no water, no food... and a...cell phone!"

Hastily she ripped it out of her pants. It then occurred to her how useless that would be, as she rolled her eyes and flipped the device back into her pocket of her grey cargo pants. "Fat lot of good that does me, who do I call? My mom? oh yeah that'll work out well, 'hey mom can you come get me? Oh? Where am I, yeah in the middle of nowhere... No really, I'm in the middle of nowhere' I'm in a desert!" she began to curse at herself mentally, "Now I'm talking to myself, thank you desert sun, love ya' too" Figuring she might as well find a place cool enough to think, she climbed closer to the small crawlspace.

_At least I can get myself out of the damn sun and think._

Her hoodie tied around her waist, it cushioned her as she sat with a plop on the cooler sand in the crevice which was only about 3 feet deep. Her eyes were now adjusted enough for her to notice that what she was resting in was in fact an entrance into what seemed to be ancient ruins. What had at one point been in fact, an entrance, was now completely blocked off.

_Looks like I'm not getting in..._

Frustrated, she rested a moment in the shadow of the blocked passageway. she climbed from the narrow crawl space and started climbing over the non-existent entrance. Tossing the book over the side, and then flinging her legs over the ridge, sand going places she didn't think sand could get to."I just know I'm going to bring home plenty of desert in my pants to make a sandbox after this" She mused aloud. Regaining her footing, she stood up on top of the mound, patting down with futile effort to remove the sand. He gaze lifted to the horizon, searching for anything. Nothing.

Diana could again feel the panic and fear rising in her chest again. And now her mind was a flurry of distressed thoughts.

_This is so stupid! completely insane! Why did I even go? I never wanted any part of this, but Icarus and his dumb ideas, the worst yet! I'm in a strange country, I have no clue where I am, or even what to do! If I go to the police and explain to them how all this is just a huge misunderstanding! Would they even believe me? I doubt it, I shouldn't have been anywhere near the museum at this time of night! Now I'm stuck with this book that's god knows how old, and god knows how expensive! Probably priceless. Now I just have to figure out how I got out of there... Icarus and I were fighting over this damn book, which is haunted I think. I didn't even want the book, I just wanted him to return it to where it belonged!_

_**You're finally here.**_**  
**

Diana froze, every thought in her mind was instantly shut-up. "That...was not me" she said slowly. Even though she was sweating, she felt fear drip down her neck and her back like ice water. She didn't know where she was or how she got there, but all she did know what that she didn't want to be there any longer. But no sooner had she climbed to her feet, that she felt the space beneath her give way. Loud rumbling was all around her, and the sound of falling rocks crashing upon one another as she hit the solid ground beneath her. With a sudden thud that knocked all the air out of her, she heaved a lungful of air coughing through the sand and dull pain in her chest. Instinctively her hands shot up covering her head as best she could, sand and dust still looming in the air. As the sound of tumbling rocks ceased, She peered out from between her arms that were warping protectively around her head. Still fighting to breath, her lungs were stiff in protest to the sudden fall she had sustained. Her head swam for a moment or two, before she could finally take small shallow breaths, sit up and recover slowly.

Her eyes watered while she took in her new darkened environment. The sun had been so bright outside it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to now completely dark cavern she had fallen into. The dark world was coming into focus, climbing to her feet using a huge stone slab as aid to climb from the floor. Her hands grazed the surface of the cool slab, it's smoothness surprised her; but what she initially thought were cracks and cuts in the slab were in fact shapes."It's a pillar?" Looking around she noticed more of what seemed to be many pillars that had toppled over of collapsed. "This was a room... but I don't" before she could finish her train of thought, the shapes came into her view. "Hieroglyphics...?" She looked forward to what she assumed was a dead end of the room, and there on the wall the Eye of Wdjat watched her.

_It's the same symbol from the book from the museum. _

Her gaze swiftly shifted between the eye upon the wall and the eye that gazed from the cover of the book. "I wonder..." she whispered. Diana's hands went to the opening of the book, fingering the clasp. A sudden sharp **snap!** And the clasp that once held the book shut, was now hanging limply from the rear cover of the book. Slowly reaching her small fingers around the cover of the book, she pulled...

_**I've been waiting for you.**_

Diana froze in sudden terror, and looked up slowly. Just below the Eye of Wdjat stood a medium sized man with blonde streaks that sat against the rest of his black hair. His purple orbs gazing right at her, and Diana gazed right back.

* * *

**I know slow, but like I said I'll have the next one up in a jiffy. It's hard to have an idea and then sit down and write. out. every. single. word. **

**World of Warcraft, you shall distract me with your expansion, NO LONGER! **

**LMAO!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews! I really helps me get off my ass and continue to upload the chapters. I keep on trying to make each chapter longer, but I just tend to put up a lot of small ones. I'll keep working on that. I'm not intending to have hardly any duel monsters. I'm keeping more with the comic version and the last season of YGO. The last season wasn't about traditional duel monsters, and had far less official duels. Without further ado...

* * *

There was a split moment of silence between the two figures. Diana stared at the man who was in strange attire, but considering that she didn't even know where she was, she might have been the one in the strange clothing. Before she could wrap her head around how he was down here, she noticed something off about him, as if he were out of focus. For the first time since he spoke, she blinked...

"GHOST!"

Diana jumped back what must have been a couple a feet, till her back came in hard contact with more sand and crushed pillar behind her. The book she had been holding landed with a sharp thud on the sand where she had been standing. The figure that had been posed beneath the eye of Wdjat, was now silently looking down at her, close to where she had just been, a questioning look on his face. Both their gazes locked, then the man's eyes shifted to the book on the ground, still appearing curious. He stared at the book, silently his expression grew more serious. Their gazes locked once more, his deep lavender eyes holding her olive green ones captive.

_**I have felt your presence for some time, I'm glad you finally came.**_

His voice was deep, and surprisingly soft, something that contradicted his determined gaze. Although his expression had softened, Diana wasn't about to let a hunk of a ghost in weird clothes throw her off guard, to hell if she were the one that was in fact wearing the strange clothes in the middle of nowhere.

"What...I mean, How have you been waiting for me? I don't even know who you are, or WHAT you are?" Without waiting for a reply, "And where are we, what is this place? This place is covered in Hieroglyphics, is this ancient Egypt or something?"

Still staring, he kneeled down on one knee to meet her level. Diana couldn't help but notice his handsome features, despite being transparent he had deep olive skin. He wasn't tall, but well proportioned and very firmly toned. She could just make out the slight muscle in his arms and legs. Her face flushed slightly, whether it was because of the heat or how close the handsome apparition was, was beyond her.

_**My name is Atem, I used to be Pharaoh of Egypt**_

He paused and looked around.

_**But I do not believe we are in my Ancient homelands, we must be in your time.**_

_Used to be Pharaoh...?_ She wondered,_ Than that means he really is a ghost, now what does this have to do with the book... And how in the world did I land in Egypt?_

_**I know you must have a great number of questions, but if I may ask, what is your name?**_

Diana paused for only a moment, what was the worst that could happen, she was already trapped in a desert. "Name's Diana... Atem, was it?"

_**Yes. Well Diana, I guess I should tell you that I have a faint idea of what must be happening.**_

_He knows about the museum?_

"Wait, it's not exactly what you think! I didn't even want to go inside, but I was nervous! And I didn't take that thing! It floated to me! It glowed slightly and had weird voices coming out of it and everything! I never meant to take it! I don't even want it, let alone know how to read it or what exactly it is! And then-"

Atem raised his hands in a gentle manner

_**Please, please, Diana. I don't know exactly what transpired with you. But I do know that because my soul has been called back from Aaru**__, __**the Millennium Items must be revived and the Millennium Puzzle must be around here somewhere, or else I couldn't be sustained without a body.**_

Diana, who was holding her breath, let out a gust of air. "Millennium Items? Puzzle?"

_**Yes, Items that were created in my ancient time, made from sacrificing 99 souls, blood, bone and flesh. Shadow objects that had specific powers unique to that item. Each item had a Scred Guardians, chosen by the item itself. There are seven of them, six of the items, the Millennium Eye, Pendant, Key, Scales, Rod, and Ring would choose a master to sit on council to the crowned Pharaoh. The Millennium Puzzle, belonged to the Pharaoh, and was passed down to the next heir. After I inherited it, I locked my soul within the puzzle, and sealed away my memories in order to save the world from a demon name Zorc, darkness itself.**_

Mind numb, but still listening, Diana blinked.

_A roughly five-thousand year old disembodied royal apparition just told me he battled evil incarnate. Human sacrifices, ancient pharaohs, guardians, magic items... Ok, why not, worse comes to worst, I'm still frying to a crisp in the sun outside and all this and the cute ghost is a nice way to go. Figures, I finally meet a cute rich guy and he's either a figment of my imagination or a ghost. _

"Ok, I'm having a hard time digesting all that, but I follow. So you locked your soul away in a Millennium Item, the Millennium Puzzle? So what do these Items have to do with me, and the haunted book over there? And how do you explain me being here?"

Atem thought for a moment, looking to the remembered book still sitting the sand just off to his left side. When he focused back, his expression had become more serious.

_**This place is my tomb in The Valley of the Kings, once guarded by tomb keepers till my return. I can only assume time has caught up with it since no one need maintain it. This is where I departed this world for good, and where I said some of the hardest 'goodbyes'.**_

If it weren't for the fact that Atem was a ghost, Diana could swear she saw his eyes glisten. How hard must it be to lock yourself up and lose your memories? Had he forgotten everything? How many times has he had to say good bye to those from his past and...

_**That, is the Millennium Spellbook. It is what created the Millennium Items in the beginning. It was said that that spell book contained the power of the gods, and that it took the ancient priests many years to decipher even one spell. No one has been able to read its sacred texts.**_

"So the Millennium Spellbook has a sacred guardian too?"

Atem's eyes widened, dumbstruck by the notion apparently. But he'd be lying if he didn't admit that was exactly what his thoughts were on all this.

_**If what you describe is true, the Millennium Spellbook must have indeed chosen a guardian. It sounded very much like the rite of succession, when one item chose a new guardian, in my time. But why now? After all these millennia, has a sacred guardian been chosen by the Millennium Spellbook? But more importantly... The power you hold now.**_

Atem finally paused, his mind whirling. He remembered feeling a strong presence while in Aaru, then finally returning to the world of the living to meet Diana, who from the looks of things was the only known sacred guardian of the most powerful item on earth. It had felt like an eternity to him, but time wasn't linear in Aaru, so he had no idea how much time had indeed passed since the last time he departed this world, or how long he had felt her presence. 

"May I ask you something?" Diana asked.

_**I guess, I'll try to answer as best I can**_

"You said you returned to... Aaru?"

_**The Fields of Aaru, where we call the resting place of souls, our afterlife.**_

"Yeah, you were trapped for so long in the Millennium Puzzle, how did you move to the afterlife?"

Atem simply stared at her expressionless. His mind flooded with memories of all his friends, friends whom he missed a great deal.

_**A friend... put the pieces of the puzzle and my mind back together, and set me free. It's strange, looking back... Neither of us had friends when we first met, and yet we had so many when we parted.**_

Before she even knew what she was thinking, she blurted out the first idea that came to mind.

"Maybe, I can find this friend of yours? I mean you're here right? You can help me get back and I can find out where he is..."

_STUPID! Diana! He just said he had no clue how long ago he left, and from the looks of this place, it could have been another thousand years! Help him find his friends! Way to leap without looking!_

_**That's very kind of you, Diana. But where would you begin? Perhaps you may know who he is, he, or we, were quite well known for duel monsters.**_

"That's a start! I know allot of Duel Monsters champions! what was his name?"

_**Yugi Muto**_

Silence filled the tomb like cavern, light still pouring in from the top where she had fallen though.

"THE INTERNATIONAL DUEL MONSTERS CHAMPION YUGI MUTO!"

Diana couldn't control her excitement, Yugi is a legend as far as games were concerned. She just couldn't believe the King of Games...

_**Yes, I do believe we won that title. But-**_

Diana cut him off, "Atem! You couldn't have been gone that long! He won that title only a little over a year ago! We can still go see him!"

Atem couldn't help but feel excitement rise in his chest, only a year... While he was still concerned with the presence of the Millennium Items, he couldn't help but long to see his friends, especially Yugi. A rare opportunity.

"Millennium Puzzle... Yugi wore a big gold pyramid like pendant around him every time he dueled, that was you wasn't it?" Diana gazed into his eyes, searching. When she saw it. That look, the determined confident gaze she had seen many times when she watched him duel on TV. She always wondered how he could have such an expression in a duel, when other appearances he seemed completely different. But she figured that this explained everything. "You were there with him the whole time, sharing his body weren't you?"

_**Yes**_

Silence. "Well, to be honest. Yugi Muto hasn't really dueled at all since he won that championship at the opening of Kaiba Land." Atem still didn't say anything. "So! Help me get out of here and we can go see him and everyone else?" She was hoping he knew a way out, would be a bummer if she became a ghost along with him in here.

_**Well, how did you get here in the first place?**_

"Ummm" Diana still hadn't the faintest idea how THAT part had happened., "I don't know, I grabbed the book and then 'poof' I was sucking in sand and baking like a potato chip"

_**Sounds like the Millennium Spellbook brought you here for a purpose. **_

"And what would that be?" Diana raised her eyebrows.

_**To meet me**_

He said simply, a small grin across his face. A blush came to her face, he was still on one knee right in front of her.

_**The Millennium Spellbook can probably help you find the Millennium Puzzle and other items, It created them so it's connection to them must be very strong.**_

Diana thought about this. Admittedly she didn't want to open that book or even go near it, but if it could help her. Heck so far as she could tell it was actually helping her, save for baking like a chip in the Sahara part maybe.

"Okay... what do I do?"


	4. Chapter 4

**I know, looking back, that my first chapter had a lot of editing problems. I went back and tried to fix as many of them as possible, but I'm still getting used to the editing and uploading documents. I also realized that I keep explaining the Millennium Items, and I really need to shut up about them and move on, I really get down to the story. Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

Diana sat there with the Millennium Spellbook in her lap, slight cold sweat droplets evaporating off of her neck. She couldn't help but be nervous, after all, the most powerful item known to man was sitting in her lap, and here she was, supposed to use it.

_**The Spellbook will help you, it chose you, there must be something inside that you can read; and it could help us find the other Millennium Items.**_

Atem's reassurance was comforting "What is the hurry with finding the Millennium Items as so fast? I mean, it's not like they're going anywhere" Atem for the first time had a strange look on his face, as if he were contemplating. It was an almost cold look, despite the slight grin that he wore, he was planning something.

_**It's important that those items be found, there's no telling what could happen now that the power of the Shadow Games have been revived.**_

Diana felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise despite her sweat.

_He knows something... That's not the whole truth. _Diana thought, she could sense it._  
_

Against her better judgment, she felt she could trust Atem. He had an intense persona, but he didn't seem like the mischievous type. She looked down at the book, and for the second time, slipped her fingers just under the cover. She gently lifted, watching as the eye on the front came and went. The heavy front rested on her left knee, and she let her eyes scan the first page.

_**Well?**_

She hadn't noticed it, probably because he was a ghost, but he too had been nervous. About what exactly, she couldn't say.

"I can't tell, it's hard to read, it's so dark in here" She tried to focus her eyes, but looking closer they looked to be like very unusual hieroglyphics. Not ordinary hieroglyphics, they weren't quite ancient Egyptian style, but she admitted she was no expert.

"I can't read this, I don't even recognize them…" Her eyes were still straining to see the symbols, till her eyes began to really play tricks on her.

_**It's an ancient style, one that predates Ancient Egypt.**_

She blinked hard a couple of times, "What the…" she murmured. The shapes she had thought were weird Egyptian styled writing, began to change to… English.

_**Well… I suppose there must be a reason, or something else we need to do.**_

Atem was looking around trying to find an explanation or begin to see if there was something he could do to help Diana. He could stay trapped indefinitely, not that he really wanted to, but Diana needed to get to out of here eventually. A strange noise coming from Diana made him look up in a start. Sitting in a straight posture, one that seemed almost uncomfortably tall. She was speaking in a tongue he could not understand, speaking as if in a trance, her eyes void. He was about to call her name, when he noticed glimmering light out of the corner of his eye.

In a dark crevice of the tomb, a light came from beneath the sand… then there were two small bright lights, then 3… He noticed the ground was shaking slightly. He frantically turned back to Diana who was still chanting monotone with the blank look in her eyes, which were now giving off a slight glow of their own.

_**Diana, what are you doing? Are you ok? Diana!**_

Atem looked back to the glowing lights, now totaling… seven. The ground still rumbled, sand and small pebbles were falling from the ceiling of the tomb. He continued to stare at Diana, whose eyes were now glowing more prominently, as well as the Millennium Spellbook. Appearing on her forehead, was the Eye of Anubis, glowing prominently. Suddenly, seven orbs of light were surrounding Diana, or from what it looked like, the Millennium Spellbook. It took Atem only a moment to realize the orbs of light were actually the Millennium Items.

_**She... did it, she summoned the Millennium Items.**_

Atem stared in shock, this was only the beginning of what she could do.

_**Diana! Diana! Can you hear me? **_

The Millennium Items, floating in air around Diana, still glowed brightly. Atem fixed his gaze on the Millennium Puzzle… His soul was trapped once again within it. And Diana, whether she knew it or not, had power over him. Just then, the items glowed even more brightly till everything went blank.

* * *

Téa pulled out her cell phone to check the time. It was late now, about ten forty-five. She flipped her phone shut, the little charms on her phone jingled with the motion, she put the phone back into a small pocket in her pale pink teardrop shaped bag. It had been a long night with so much to take in, she needed a restroom break. She stood quietly in front of the sink, her reflection gazing back at her, letting her mind wrap itself around what she and the others had just been told.

"Poor Yugi, he looked so concerned, and Atem. Could he really be trapped inside the Millennium Puzzle again? He had just moved on, and now he could be stuck again, and what's worse, someone is running around with the Millennium Spellbook!" She sighed and continued to look at herself in the mirror. _All dressed up and no place to go_, she thought. She headed into a bathroom stall and closed the door. "Ishizu said that the incarnation of the sacred guardian of the Millennium Spellbook could also gain power over the items."

It was then that she heard a loud snap and then thud and crash.

* * *

Diana landed on her bottom, hard. "ugh! Again with the falling on my rear. I swear this is the third time. No more!" She started rubbing her lower back. And looked around, she was surrounded by small white and green checkered tiles that carpeted the cold floor, and what looked like bathroom stalls to her right, and sinks to her left.

_A museum, then a desert in Egypt, ok yeah sure a bathroom, that's exactly the next place I would have guessed._

_**Diana! Are you all right? You were in a trance and you wouldn't respond, I kept calling you.  
**_  
"What, oh I'm fine, I mean my rear hurts from the falling, but falling can do that to ya," Atem looked at her with a half amused smile. When they both looked up and saw a fairly tall girl with short brown hair wearing a black miniskirt and hot pink tube top staring right back at Diana and her odd half crumpled posture on the floor.

"Ummmm" was all Diana could get out

_**Téa**_

Diana looked at Atem who appeared from nowhere next to Diana's right side. "You know her?"

_**It's… Téa! **_

_**

* * *

**_

Téa looked down at the strange sight. A small girl with olive green eyes looked back up at her. She had medium brown hair that was all one length just below her ears, cute in a youthful way she initially thought. She seemed flushed and looked as if she had been sweating, her light sandy toned skin glistened in the fluorescent light. Téa noticed her teal tunic looked a little long on her, coming high on her upper thighs. Her faded black jeans, which looked more like dark grey by now, seemed to be covered in sand, along with her small suede black flat boots. Before she could say anything, she noticed she had a sweater wrapped around her waist, an oversized black sweater.

_What in the world, how did she get in here?_ thought Téa

The small strange girl then said, "You know her?"

_Who is she talking too?_ Was her next thought, looking at the strange sight.

They locked eyes once more; Téa broke the stare first and looked down. The girl's foot slipped slightly, sending something rolling down to a drain that was built into the bathroom floor. It rolled all the way clanking as it made its way to the drain, where it danced around it for a second till it came to a complete halt. The Millennium symbol on the gold ball shaped object stared up at Téa.

_Hey that's the Millennium Eye! But how did…? Wait, she?  
_  
"You!" Téa shouted, pointing her finger at her, she paused for a moment as if she wasn't quite sure what to do, then ran to the door and seemed to be calling some one when she shouted, "Hey!" from the doorway.

_**What's wrong?**_

"Atem, do you mind? This is the ladies room, I'd run screaming too"

_**This is no time to be funny, Diana, besides, I'm afraid she can't see me in this state.**_

"I must be in the museum again" Diana pondered, as she checked her cell. Only eleven pm, that means she had only been gone about four hours. Diana rose to her feet, she could make out the sounds of scuffling in the distance, meaning there were more people on their way. "Well, if that girl is your friend, maybe I can explain to them that this is all a big mistake, she probably thinks I'm trying to get a five-finger-discount on all this loot" she gestured to all the items around her.

_**It's certainly worth a try, Téa is an excellent listener.**_

Diana glance quickly around her feet, seven gold items we splayed around where she had been sitting. "I guess you found the Millennium Items?"

Atem glanced at her, he was practically eye level with her. This was the first time she stood next to him.

_**I did? Diana, don't you-**_

He was cut off, she knelt down to the ground and started picking up the scattered items, undoing her sweater, and making a makeshift sack for them out of it. Picking it up with a hearty smile, she made her way to the door. "If you say I can trust this Téa, let's go find her."

Atem just smiled, it could wait. For now, he wanted to go see his friends.

* * *

Téa came sprinting from the ladies room, which was only about eight feet away. "Guys! Come quick! I think one of the thieves is here! In the rest room! Hurry, c'mon!"

"In da' rest room, what da' heck would they be doin' in'ere"? Joey asked as he and Tristan took off in Téa's direction. Yugi jogged right behind them, anxious to see if it really was possible. Mokuba looked back and called to his body guard, "Roland, go get Seto and the others, quick!"

Diana hadn't taken so much as a step outside the restroom before she heard someone exclaim, "There she is!"

Before Diana, or even Atem could even see who was making all the noise, Diana felt a huge blow that knocked her crashing to the ground. The Items, which were all wrapped up in her sweater, were now sliding across the smooth waxed floor of the dimly lit museum.

_**Joey! Tristan! **_

Diana couldn't even think, but assumed that whatever it was that knocked her back on her rear was 'Joeytristan' or what she could make out to be Atem's voice yelling, who sounded quite worried. Diana had no clue what was going on, but whatever it was there was quite a racket. Yugi looked down on the ground where all he could see in the dim light of the closed museum was Joey and Tristan scrambling. He noticed glimmers spread out across the ground. Before he could tell what the other glimmers were, he saw it. "The Millennium Puzzle!"

_**Yugi…**_

Yugi looked up, and saw standing just behind the scrambling mass on the floor, was Yami.

"Atem!" Diana shouted from beneath the two masses, "Help me out here please would you!" Joey and Tristan paused. "What da-?" Joey started, looking down at the frustrated girl glaring beneath him. "Tristan, guys, it's a girl!"

"Mazel tov!", was all that came out of Diana's mouth, rolling her eyes sarcastically still struggling from under the mans heavy weight.

"Hey guys" said Téa, who was staring at Yugi, and soon so was the whole crowd. Yugi stood frozen in place, not even blinking from the blank space he was staring at.

"Pharaoh..."

"What, where, Yug you see some body?" Joey glance at Yugi with a concerned look.

"Atem" Pleaded Diana, "Please, help me out here, you know these guys, so get them off!"

Joey sat almost completely on Diana's chest, while Tristan had complete hold of her waist from tackling her. "Wait, Atem?" Tristan asked, "Who's she talking too"

Yugi continued to stare at Atem, only glancing at Diana when she said the Pharaoh's name.

_**Yugi, this is Diana, she helped me get here. We can trust her.**_

Yugi and Diana locked gazes for only a moment, then she looked back at Joey. Diana yelled, "GET OFF!"

"Joey, it's ok, Atem said she's ok" Yugi said reassuringly, Joey merely stared back. "You sure Yug, I mean, it's not like she went shopping for bling here, in case ya' haven't noticed, she's got all seven Millennium Items Yug, she has to be the thief, and Atem, she probably locked him back up in 'dat puzzle 'dere"

"I wouldn't do that to him!" Diana shouted, "Now let me go!"

"Is it true, Yugi" Téa started, "Is Atem really here?"

"Yeah Téa, he's back" Yugi said as Atem walked up to him. Téa smiled, Yugi looked happy after a long time.

"Well, you've returned" Came Ishizu's voice from down the hall. Behind her was the rest of the group, striding up to the mess in the museum hallway. "It's ok Joey, you can let her go, she can't run away" she continued.

Ishizu and her brothers took a look at the individual who had been the focus of their curiosity for the past 6 hours. "We have a lot of questions for you" Ishizu said simply, "But right now we need to gather up all the Millennium Items you have returned and talk about this elsewhere"

"Hey" Diana asked, as the others started looking for the scattered items in the nearly dark exhibit. "You're Yugi Muto?"

Yugi smiled back, "You're Diana? Thank you, for helping the spirit, Diana. I was really worried, we didn't know who you were so we assumed the worst"

"Actually..." Diana laughed, "Atem helped _me_ out"

"So you really can see him then?" Yugi looked excited that someone could share his friend with him. Diana nodded and smiled. Yugi looked down at the Millennium Puzzle in his hands, he figured he needed to get a new chain for it.

"Hey, guys!" Mokuba shouted "We found the Millennium Items, but we can't find the Millennium Spellbook"

The whole crowd started to stare at Diana, who simply stared in confusion back.

"What? I don't have it! It got knocked out of my hands when tweedledee and tweedeldum pulled a takedown on me!"

"Hey, we didn't know you weren't going to run away!" Tristan defended.

"Well it's not here..." Mokuba said looking unsatisfied with the outcome.

Down the hall came a man in a suit and dark short hair came jogging down the hall, panting as he reached a tall man in a white sleeveless trench coat.

"Kaiba sir, it appears someone was here and just left, we just finished searching the grounds, and the recent surveillance confirms it!"

"Someone else was just here?" Marik looked at the man in the suit than to Seto. "Where you able to make out anything from the surveillance?" asked Seto.

"Yes sir, it appears to be the same hooded figure from the first break in" he responded.

Seto's gaze fell on Diana, who was still standing next to Yugi. "You, you and that other person, you came here to steal the Millennium Spellbook, and now it appears your friend has come to finish the job, so I'm going to give you this one chance to tell me who your accomplice is" Seto kept his cold eyes on Diana.

"Accomplice? Oh! Icarus... he was here?"

_**Icarus?**_

"He's stolen the Millennium Spellbook, why does he want it?" Marik looked slightly confused, "There's nothing he could do with it"

"Hey guys, me and Icarus aren't very close anymore, but I can call him, I know where he lives, this is just a misunderstanding, he thought there was something he could learn from the Millennium Spellbook, that's why we came here. I didn't know what he was planning at the time, I swear, but now that I know what it is, I think I know why he wanted it so badly."

Ishizu didn't seem as troubled as the first time it was stolen, probably because this time it was actually stolen as opposed to being taken by someone who could potentially use it. "What could he possibly hope to learn from it, what does he want with it?"

Diana suddenly felt a wave of sadness wash over her, Atem knew, he could feel it. It hadn't occurred to him till now, but all the anxiety and now sadness he was feeling was because of Diana. He figured that Yugi could sense something as well through him. The only thing he could think to explain it, was the Millennium Spellbook, and the powerful connection it had to all the Millennium Items.

"It's a long story..." Diana sighed. Atem stared at her suddenly solemn expression, and wished he knew what he could do.

"It's not as dire as before, but fine, you know this Icarus, who is he?" Marik asked crossing his arms, "An ex-boyfriend perhaps?"

"No, he's not my lover!" Diana almost yelled, "Icarus is my twin brother"

Ishizu's blood ran cold as she froze with shock. "What's wrong Ishizu? are you ok? Is something wrong?" Marik asked looking over his sister.

"Your... twin...brother?" she asked quietly

the crowd looked stunned, not knowing what was going on. "Yeah" Diana said simply, "I'm older by about eight minutes, not much but I still insisted he call me older sister when I was younger" Diana smiled. "It's no problem, we're not that close anymore, but I can find him and get the Millennium Spellbook back, besides, he can't use it anyways"

"I'm afraid he can" Ishizu replied quickly

_**What!**_

"What!"

"What do you mean, Ishizu?" Marik looked confused, as did Solomon, who was intrigued by this new revelation.

"Icarus and Diana are twins, he'll have the ability to read the Millennium Spellbook..."

Everyone stared at her in silence. "How can that be?" Asked Diana, "I thought only one person could decipher it?" Solomon questioned next.

"When twins are born, they have a special connection to one another, a very special bond... It's through this bond that the he can have power over the Millennium Spellbook, through Diana," Ishizu looked back at Diana. "If anything were to happen to you, and you no longer existed, he would lose his ability because it is through you, through your bond that he has his power,"

"Atem?...Pharaoh!" Yugi shouted, a panicked look and tears coming to his eyes, he slumped to the floor.

"Yugi!" seemed to emanate from the whole group at once,"What's wrong Yugi, what's happened?" Solomon knelt down beside his grandson, resting his hand on his back, "what happened to the spirit?" Yugi's eyes just continued to water, without being able to say anything. "Atem's gone..." Whispered Diana, "His sprit isn't here anymore..." Diana wasn't able to sense it till Yugi's concern turned her on to it, but she had realized that she too, could no longer sense the presence on Atem any longer... Yugi just sat on the floor, "What could have happened to him?" he asked, looking up at Diana, his expression made her heart break.

_Icarus,_ She thought.

Ishizu walked up to her, a very serious expression had crossed her face. "Diana, what is the reason your brother stole the Millennium Spellbook?"

* * *

**I'm still having problems with editing in the preview part of this website, sometimes it saves my changes and sometime it doesn't. Stick with me, I'll learn it yet! lol**


	5. Chapter 5

I'm very sorry for the long wait. College was a kick in my ass this semester. But anyways it feels good to get back to writing. Enjoy, it's a long chapter! ^_^

* * *

Atem's mind was swirling, and his limbs felt heavy. "_Where am I? What… has happened to me…?"_ The more he tried to think the more lost he was beginning to feel, like he was dissolving. As he struggled to maintain some consciousness of some kind, he wasn't even sure if he was awake. "_Yugi…Dia..na"_

Diana sat frozen in her chair, she felt almost to blame for all the trouble in these people's lives lately, not to mention the lack of sleep tonight. It must have been approaching one am now. Yugi had calmed down, yet still obviously distraught. "I'm so sorry Yugi; I don't know how this could have happened…"

"It's ok Diana, you didn't do anything-" Yugi was cut off by a loud voice.

"She may have not done anything directly Yug' but she knows da' one who did have sometin' to do wit' it" Joey gave a glare in Diana's general direction.

"I told you, I haven't seen my brother in over a year, he became very solitary after our mom died, despite how much I tried to reach out to him…"

Diana trailed off. She was very sad about her mother's passing, but not having her own brother with her during that most difficult time in her life hurt more. She tried to understand how depressed he must have been, eventually, she lost touch with him altogether. "Icarus was always my protector, I was the older sibling, but the smaller one, I just don't understand how Icarus could be responsible for something so… cruel,"

"I find that hard to believe, you mean to tell me twins wouldn't even speak to each other over a year, please!" Seto was now glaring at her from his corner of the room. To be honest, he was really getting on her nerves. It was he who was keeping everyone at the museum; he wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery that he felt he was dragged into. "_He was dragged into…"_ Diana mumbled to herself. She admired Seto's tenacity, but he could be a bit harsh. "I told you! We grew up close, very close. But Icarus never told me anything after mom died…" Diana fought back the sting of tears fighting to escape.

Yugi looked over at her; someone else had spent the last year very alone as well.

"We're from the U.S…" Diana started, "Both our parents were military, soon after we were born, our mom's contract was up so we followed our father around the world on his assignments" Diana remembered all the places they had lived, there had been so many she couldn't remember a favorite. "Our dad divorced my mother when she decided she didn't want to move anymore, and soon it was just the three of us" If Diana could pick one happy time in her life, it was living in Japan with her mother and brother. "We stayed like that till recently, our mom had cancer… and she grew very weak, eventually her body gave in…" Diana finally had a few tears that had escaped her, she looked up at the group eyes still watering, "Soon after the funeral, Icarus talked less and less to me, about a month went by, and only I was talking… three months after our mother passed, I lost contact with him altogether." The whole group stood silent.

"It was only a month ago that Icarus finally called me one day, just out of the blue. He told me he had found something, something that would fix everything… and how we could be a family again"

Seto took this opportunity to cut in, "He wanted you to help him steal the Millennium Spellbook, why?" Diana was about to cry again, this just wasn't like her brother!

"He never mentioned the Millennium Spellbook! I didn't even know he wanted to come to a museum till tonight. I was just so happy that he was back in my life, I just never saw the warning signs and I'm so sorry Yugi, I never wanted anything bad to happen to Atem, I-"

Once again Seto cut her off, "And why should he believe you? You would chose to help some stranger over your own brother, and that you never knew what your brother was up to after he promised you something to fix both your lives-"

Now it was Diana's turn to cut him off.

"I didn't! I thought he meant he had found a way to live with his grief and was going to try and start living again! And I know it's strange, but I felt something familiar about the Pharaoh! I didn't want anything to happen to him, I wanted to protect him!" She caught herself at the end of that outburst; it wasn't so much that she shocked the people around her, more so that she shocked herself. _"What am I saying! " _

Tèa looked over at Diana, a strange feeling swept over her. Diana wanted to protect Atem just as much as she wanted to, then why did she feel so strange? Diana could see the Pharaoh like Yugi could, and was a holder of a Millennium Item. Somehow she felt that Diana was already closer to Atem in mere hours than she was in years. The spirit was always mysterious and quiet, so getting to know him took time.

Yugi was still looking at her; he believed every word she said. "It's ok Diana, I believe you. The Pharaoh said he trusted you, so that means I should put my trust in you as well" Diana felt a slight flush in her face, _"He might still appear to be young, but he has a truly warm smile, no wonder he has so many friends"_ Diana envied the young man sitting next to her, compared to her, his life seemed so full. Here he had so many people worried about him; even Atem was worried about him before he went missing.

"I just don't know what Atem has to do with all this, why was he the one to disappear?" Diana wished she knew more that could help. Ishizu was still serious looking, for the past hour she and her two brothers had been deep in conversation, but at her last comment, they finally looked over at her. "He is a very old soul, Diana." Yugi and Diana immediately turned to her, along with most of the group.

"Think of him as an antique, his soul is very old, and like most antiques they gain more value the older they become… instead of gaining a monetary value, his soul becomes more powerful the longer it remains on this plane… Over time he has gained abilities that other people don't. Such power like that could only come from acquiring power over time here on earth. In a way, his curse has also blessed him. However if your brother has the book, he won't be able to do what I think he's planning to do all by himself. Even though he is your twin, he can only command so much of the Millennium Spellbook. It chose you so only you can control its full power."

"So what exactly does Atem's powerful soul have to do with everything?" Asked Tristan, "You're suggesting that Icarus wants his power for himself?"

Ishizu seemed to be deep in thought, "Icarus can't just take Atem's power, it would overwhelm him. Only the Pharaoh can control it, but that doesn't mean that he can't use his power for something else. You see, he could in essence, trade the Pharaoh's soul for another, and maybe bring back someone close."

"Mom!" Diana felt dread wash over her… All this trouble Icarus was creating, for all these people, and Atem and Yugi… For their mother? She loved and missed her mother more than anything in the world, but her mother's time had come, and that was that. It would not be fair to sacrifice one innocent soul for another.

"I don't get something, Ishizu…" Yugi looked up at her, a puzzled look made a slight crease in his brow, "if Atem was already in the afterlife, how was he going to sacrifice someone who is already dead for another?"

Apparently he wasn't the only one confused, the group was staring back at Ishizu, she looked almost hurt at what she was about to say to Yugi. "It doesn't work like that," Marick picked up, "the whole soul isn't just 'traded' in for another, not only does it cost a lot of power to restore someone, but the soul does not stay intact," he folded his arms across his chest.

"You mean…" Yugi began, but was cut off.

"It would be as if he never existed, the essence of his soul is transferred to bring back another, and the Pharaoh is a more than powerful soul to do it." Ishizu picked up where Marick was going with this. "There are many dark alchemy spells within the Millennium Spellbook, to make the seven Millennium Items, it took 99 souls, to bring back one person, could take one powerful soul,"

"What can I do to help!" Diana jumped up; her chair she was sitting in fell off its legs behind her due to the force of her leap to her feet. She felt all eyes in the room land on her. "I don't know where to start or what I can really do, but I want to help." Her head was beginning to feel light, maybe from the sudden leap to her feet.

Mokuba reached into a backpack of some kind that he had brought in with him, "Here!" he tossed a cellphone device at her, she flipped it over, looking at its smooth pebble like surface, "Use this to contact either Kaiba or myself, it has a direct line," Mokuba looked over at his brother who began to speak.

"In the meantime, Yugi, you and your friends are to not let her out of your sight, just in case she even tries to contact her brother, Ishizu and her brothers will find out what they can about what the Spellbook can do and just what Diana _can_ do to help, I will in the meantime try and keep my men looking out for Icarus."

"_Just what does he mean, 'what __can__ I do'? I can do something! And why does my head feel so light still…" _

"Diana!" Came Yugi's voice, and the rest of the sounds soon faded into a blur…

* * *

"_Did I just faint? I must be sleeping, but why? I felt fine earlier, I feel fine now" _Diana felt herself standing, darkness all around her. She looked around for any light, but to no avail. "Yugi!" she yelled, it only occurred to her after she yelled how insane that might have been, it's not like he could hear her in her dream…

**Diana…?**

"_Wait… that voice? Atem!"_

**It's me, I'm right here. **

From out of the darkness she saw Atem take shape. She didn't know if it was because she was dreaming, but he appeared more real here than in his ghost form from before. Again she couldn't help but take notice of his handsome features.

"I'm glad to see you're okay, but what happened to you? You're not in the Puzzle anymore, are you?"

**I'm afraid not, something has pulled me from my anchor…**

"_Icarus.", _ she thought.

**I don't think I can sustain myself for too long without it. I was lost before, in this endless darkness. Then I could hear your voice, you and Yugi both. I heard you speak… about your mother and twin brother. **

Diana froze, not knowing what exactly she had said way back then. She didn't say anything too embarrassing… did she? No she didn't think so, but still she flushed.

"Atem, I promise, I didn't know what he was planning to do, I'm sorry for everything, for tearing you away from Aaru, for causing Yugi and all your friends so much trouble, for taking that damn Spellbo-"

Atem had moved closer to her, balancing both hands on her shoulders. Her mind must have been playing tricks on her, for she could swear she felt warmth there.

**Don't be sorry Diana, you didn't take me from Aaru, I left once I felt your presence, like you were calling to me. I wanted to say how I understand how you and your brother must feel about losing your mother. I never knew mine; she passed away while bringing me into this world…**

His gaze was much softer than she had seen it before; he gazed downward for a second, before meeting her eyes again.

**For some reason, neither my father nor mother was in Aaru when I was there.**

"Atem…" Diana was touched that he had just confided in her, she felt that, that was just something a strong willed Pharaoh like him just wasn't accustomed to doing.

"Diana, I'm surprised to see you found a way here all by yourself, and you… You must be the Unnamed Pharaoh I read about, Atem is it?"

"Icarus! How did you?" Diana started. "Where are we?"

"Strange as it might seem, we are in the Millennium Spellbook right now." Icarus was fairly tall, taller than Diana anyways. He was no longer adorning his dark black jacket anymore, and instead only had on a plain black tee-shirt and fitted jeans. His hair, the same color as Diana's was pulled into a tight ponytail on the back of his neck. His hair wasn't very long, he barely had enough to pull it back, as several stray strands of bangs fell forward and dangled in front of his face.

"You look terrible Icarus, you havn't cut your hair in ages and you don't look like you've slept much" Diana softly spoke while taking note at just how bad her brother had actually gotten.

"But I feel better than ever sis, and once mom is back, things will be just as happy as they were before" Icarus seemed to be grinning ear to ear, and along with his slightly disheveled appearance, it was kind of scaring Diana.

"Icarus, what are you planning to do?" Diana said very slowly.

"I was only wondering if I could use the Millennium Spellbook, but it turns out I was right to wait around the museum to see if you would return, you see Diana we can't just sacrifice any soul to bring mother back, this ancient Pharaoh has more than enough power we can use, now move aside"

Diana looked behind her; Atem had taken his hands off her shoulders. She felt cold, scared… was it really coming to this? Her brother against herself? But what if she did want her mother back; would it make her a bad daughter if she didn't? Her head was spinning, she didn't want this, she just wanted all this to stop.

"Diana?" Icarus may not have been completely identical to Diana, but he did have the same eyes, and right now his twin gaze scared her.

**Diana…?**

"No…" Diana had her head turned slightly down, tears streaming down her face. "What do you mean, 'no'?" Icarus seemed to be smiling, but it was fading to a very serious expression. "Diana, move-"

"I'm sorry, Icarus," Diana cut him off, "I love you, but I will not let you hurt anyone, even to bring mom back… And I will not let you hurt Pharaoh Atem!"

Diana's gaze turned furious, and yet, all she could feel was grief. Light started pouring out from around her, as she once again fell into that familiar trance that only the Millennium Spellbook could do.

**What is this power! Could this be from her? **

Tears streamed from Diana's eyes, as power began to rush through her, and the trance overtook her.

* * *

As you may have noticed, I changed what the anime had done at the very end of the series. In the end we see that Atem's father really is there in the afterlife waiting for Atem. But earlier in the anime when he sacrifices his soul to save his son from the vengeful spirits of Kul Elna, it's pretty much made clear that his father went to the shadow realm with the spirits so they would not claim his son. So I ran with that and have kept it so that his father was not there. As for his mother, well that is going to be another part of the story that will come into play. In the next chapter I think I'm going to switch to a little of Atem's PoV ^_^

oh! And please review! Let me know how I'm doing!


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